During the past decade, use of both carbon and fiberglass composites have dramatically increased for aerospace, marine and automotive applications. One of the drawbacks of using composites is the high manufacturing cost. Recently, several manufacturers have begun to employ a low cost vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. However, one of the difficulties associated with the VARTM process is the lack in the number of resin systems suitable for ambient temperature VARTM processes. In particular, when higher glass transition temperatures are required (for example, as with most of the aerospace components), the conventional VARTM process is generally inadequate. Although it is possible to employ a conventional VARTM process inside an oven, such action places limitations on the size of the fabricated components.
Accordingly, there is a need in the field of composite manufacturing for a low-cost composite manufacturing approach that can be used to manufacture composites without infusing the resin into the composites in ovens or autoclaves at elevated temperatures and pressures or without the use of an oven-type heating mechanism.